There are 25 statements below. Give yourself the following points for each statement:

0 – Do not agree
1 – Agree or somewhat agree
2 – Do not understand or unsure

Be very honest and rate each statement truthfully. Do not skip a statement. As a project manager, you:

Write a project charter using a word processor

Manually transform scope into requirements

Manage project risks using a spreadsheet

Primarily use dashboards to share weekly status

Use sticky notes (Post-it®) to create a WBS

Share project documentation on network drives

Your team cannot access issue logs anywhere

Perform brainstorming sessions using a whiteboard

Use e-mail then phone to quickly get answers

Do not use three-point estimating all the time

Have not used a wiki for knowledge management

Do not have a LinkedIn or Twitter account

Have not used Skype on a conference call

Have not recorded a conference call

Believe in triple-constraints (scope, time and cost)

Have not heard of the PMBOK® Guide 4th Edition

Think that PRINCE2 is a new music album

Know that CBAP® (“c-bop”) is the latest PRINCE2® dance move

Do not know the latest versions of PMI standards

Have not heard of CAPM®

Have not heard of PMP®

Have not heard of PgMP®

Have not heard of PMI-RMP℠

Have not heard of PMI-SP®

Cannot be away from the office for more than one week

If you scored 20+, you are a Certified Dinosaur Project Manager (CDPM)! If you scored 15-19 points, it will not be long before you earn the CDPM designation. If you scored 10-14 points, you need to upgrade your skills. If you scored lower than 10 points, good for you!

Manage project risks using a spreadsheet—use Palisade @Risk or some other software

Primarily use dashboards to share weekly status— In Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, there is a feature called “My Site” and the discussion board can be used as a Wall (similar to Facebook). A special thank you to my Filipino friend, former colleague and SharePoint expert Dux. You can use MBWA too (Management by Wandering Around).

Use sticky notes (Post-it®) to create a WBS—use WBS Chart Pro from Critical Tools. Mindjet’s MindManager will work also but I prefer the bidirectional feature of WBS Chart Pro.

Share project documentation on network drives—we use SharePoint but you can use Google Docs too

Wikipedia defined mind map as “a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea.”

For most project managers, mind map is an indispensable tool from the initiating to the closing phases of a project. At the beginning of a project, a mind map can be used to generate ideas to refine the project scope. After scope definition, a mind map facilitates the preparation of a work breakdown structure so that the project team can visualize the project. Mind map also helps with reporting and troubleshooting during project execution.

MindJet’s MindManager also captures business requirements. From the mind map, the user can automatically generate a Microsoft Word document at a touch of a button. MindManager can also import tasks into Microsoft Office Project.